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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29501277">Taako's paranoid</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ben_Phantomhive/pseuds/Ben_Phantomhive'>Ben_Phantomhive</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Adventure Zone (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Happy Ending, Kravitz is a good boyfriend, M/M, Paranoia, neurodivergent taako, paranoia inducing language, paranoid taako</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:33:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,764</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29501277</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ben_Phantomhive/pseuds/Ben_Phantomhive</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Taako is a paranoid person,and his paranoia sometimes is too much to handle. This is one of those times.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Taako's paranoid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Warning:this work contains descriptions that could trigger the readers paranoia. It is a representation of how paranoia feels to me,so please do not say this work belongs to the horror genre or tag.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taako is a paranoid person.</p><p>Growing up on the road made him like that. The fact that Lup and him were together only meant that,while she meditated,he had to stay awake,alon,keeping her safe. This,mixed with his keen elven senses,made him be on his toes every single hour of the day. Today,however,was worse.</p><p>Kravitz had come back from work after chasing a group of necromancers for far too long and had immediately gone to rest in their shared bedroom,stopping only to leave his stuff in the living room and giving Taako a goodnight smooch. Taako,on the other hand,had stayed up doing some paperwork for his school. Or he intended too</p><p>When he was tidying up Kravitz stuff he had found some books he had retrieved from the necromancers to give to the Raven Queen. Taako understood he had to respect Kravitz's privacy,and he did,most of the time. But he was also like a curious cat. He opened the book and started to look through it. He wasn't interested in this type of stuff,at all,but that didn't stop him from snoopin. </p><p>Curiosity did kill the cat though.</p><p>What he saw made him shut the book close immediately. It was a depiction of a tortured soul,but it was gruesome. He quickly left the book with the rest of Kravitz’s stuff and went back to do his paperwork,he didn't want to think too hard about it. </p><p>But the damage was already done.</p><p>He tried to concentrate on reading the paperwork,but he found himself turning around constantly to look at the door of the living room.</p><p>Just an empty hall.</p><p>He knew it was empty,he knew that no one aside from him,Kravitz and their cats were in the house and that he would hear the noise if anything else tried to come in.</p><p>He turned back to his paperwork and tried to read again. Istus,it was so boring.</p><p>Suddenly his gaze snapped back to the door as he heard a creaking noise.</p><p>Nothing was there,it was just the sound of their house.</p><p>He turned back,he wanted to finish this before he went to meditate. He wanted to do this. It was so frustrating. He knew no one was there! He was safe! He had saved the universe! If something happened,he knew he could fight back.</p><p>There was something at the door.</p><p>He almost had a heart attack when he turned around and saw that his suspicions were right,but he calmed down when he saw it was just Paaella, one of their cats, stretching on the door frame.</p><p>He petted her soft little head and closed the door when she came in,he wasnt dealing with that door any-fucking-more.</p><p>He sat back and grabbed the quill,he could do this now. He didn't see the dark hall anymore. He knew that the sounds outside were just the wind and some trees. He could do this.</p><p>He couldn't do this.</p><p>Each time he set the quill on the paper he could only think about what he saw. The expression on that picture was haunting him. Each time he was about to write he feared that he was going to see that face on the paper.</p><p>He got up and accepted that he couldn't get the paperwork done at that moment. He was going to go to bed and he was going to try again in the morning. He kissed his cats’ heads and said goodnight to them and made his way to the door. </p><p>He took a deep breath,nothing was behind the door. He knows it.</p><p>Behind the door there was just the dark hall.</p><p>His fingers lingered over the light switch. He couldn't see well in complete darkness,he didn't want that.</p><p>He casted a light spell,turned the lights off and made his way to the bedroom.</p><p>It was just a couple of steps away. One or two seconds,three at most. But he was tripping over his own feet. He couldn't stop looking back. But when he was looking back he couldn't see if there was something in front of him. But if he was looking forward he couldn't see if there was something behind him.</p><p>He couldn't get that image out of his mind. The way its darkened eyes looked at the nothingness. The face frozen in the middle of an agonizing scream. The mess that were its clothes and its hair. He could see it moving. Reaching for him. Pulling him towards it. Him,not fighting back,only trembling as it wrapped its cold fingers around his neck.</p><p>He finally reached the room</p><p>He closed the door behind him as quickly and quietly as possible,as if he was being chased. The whole trip didn't take much more than a couple of seconds,but it felt like he had been stuck in it for hours.</p><p>He slumped against the door and sighed looking frantically around the room. He just saw Kravitz lying down with his back to him and their cat Puuding laying on Kravitz’s night stand.</p><p>Reaching the bedroom didnt free Taako from his vision.</p><p>He felt dumb even thinking this,but he wasnt the one thinking it.</p><p>He feared that Kravitz would suddenly turn around and have that hideous face.</p><p>He decided to ignore this thought and just get into bed. He could force himself to meditate and stop thinking all that shit. He was so tired of this. He had been fine this past few months,he had been able to not fear for his life every single second. All that gone because of a silly picture.</p><p>He couldn't meditate. He felt someone was watching him. Ready to attack him. He covered himself with the blanket,it usually helped. But it didn't. He felt so trapped. He couldn't run from something that wasn't there,he couldn't fight something that wasn't there. He just stayed there,frozen.</p><p>He wanted to cry.</p><p>And he almost did as he felt a strong arm wrap around him,but he did let out a small yelp.</p><p>“Is there something wrong,babe?”</p><p>The smooth comforting voice of Kravitz came from behind him with a hint of worry in it as he held him close. How could he ever think this man wanted to hurt him? Taako sighed as he held one of Kravitz’s hands. It was so warm.</p><p>“Nah skull,ev’rything’s Gucci.”</p><p>His voice came out way shakier than he would have liked,and he knew Kravitz noticed when he felt a kiss on his shoulder. He turned around and nuzzled into his boyfriend’s chest. His heart was beating ever so slowly.</p><p>“Taako,you don’t have to lie to me. It's fine if you don’t want to tell me,but I want you to feel like you can trust me,alright?”</p><p>Taako felt Kravitz’s hand start undoing his braid and playing with his hair. He just wanted to melt in his arms,to stay right there forever and let Death himself take care of his withering body. He was being dramatic,sure,but that’s what he wanted.</p><p>“You will get mad at me if I tell you”</p><p>“Babe, as long as you didn’t kick out one of our cats I won’t get upset at you.”</p><p>He planted a smooch on Taakos forehead,he was smiling fondly. Gosh,this man was going to be his death.</p><p>“Ok,so,I may have gone through your stuff and snooped around one of those books of yours and I may be scared that some of the shit in them will come and kill us.”</p><p>Kravitz sighed and Taako waited to be scolded.</p><p>“Aw Taako,come here.”</p><p>Kravitz held Taako closer,and Taako could swear he was going to cry.</p><p>“Do you need me to tell you logically why we are safe or just to hold you?”</p><p>Taako smiled, Kravitz was always so patient with him. Finally the universe gave him someone he deserved.</p><p>“Um,yeah,a little bit of both. Both its good.”</p><p>“Alright,so,what did you see?”</p><p>“It was like,um,a tortured soul with white,like actually white,skin and um...Its eyes were black and its mouth was open very wide and um….I think that was all?”</p><p>He grabbed Kravitz’s hand tightly as the terrifying image popped into his head once again,but he wasn't alone this time,he felt Kravitz squeeze back.</p><p>“Oh,that one! Those types of souls are from beings that have been merged together. Think like,Legion but very badly made. They are usually not offensive at all and only travel to our plane when they are summoned. They wouldn’t try to hurt us,and it is very unlikely you will ever see one.”</p><p>The hand on his hair was still playing with it,grounding him.</p><p>“But what if it wanted to hurt us? What if one came here and tried to kill us?”</p><p>“I would get my scythe and send it back to the Astral Plane.”</p><p>Kravitz’s thumb was brushing Taako’s knuckles very carefully,like if he was a delicate and old art piece that needed restoration.</p><p>“But what if something happened and you couldn't do that?”</p><p>“Babe,you saved the universe,you can fight off one lost soul.”</p><p>That smile he gave him,filled with amusement and curiosity. Taako wanted to kiss it and kiss it hard.</p><p>“But what if my magic was gone?”</p><p>“Then we would just beat it up the old way.”</p><p>That made Taako laugh and nuzzle Kravitz’s chest,hearing him laugh too.</p><p>“What a good date idea.”</p><p>Alright,now Kravitz was really laughing.</p><p>“Yeah,a perfect date. We could come out with more in the morning.”</p><p>Taako separated a little to look at Kravitz’s face. So handsome.</p><p>“Are you subtly putting me to meditate? My own boyfriend? In my own house?”</p><p>“Oh did it seem like I was trying to be subtle?”</p><p>Taako’s offended gasp made him laugh harder,and Kravitz’s laugh was contagious. So they both laughed at how stupid they were being.</p><p>When they finally calmed down they were snuggling close to one another enjoying the small sounds of the crickets that came from outside.</p><p>“No, but really,we need to rest.”</p><p>Kravitz covered them both with the blanket as he landed another smooch on Taako’s hair.</p><p>“Sleep well sweetheart.”</p><p>“You too skelle-babe.”</p><p>And Taako gave him a sweet kiss before quickly snuggling back into his spot on the warm arms of his boyfriend.</p><p>They rested. They rested so well.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As with most of my fics,you will be able to find artwork of this story on my Instagram @ben_phantomhive and my Tumblr @ben-phantomhive-trash . Im very proud of this piece!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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